Steel Wings
by The Wandering Khan
Summary: Deathshead has sent a young Nazi soldier into the heart of the Human Kingdom, armed with the latest the Nazis could offer him. The soldier, Ulric von Ritter who is a descendant of the old Wolfenstein family, is tasked to win the hearts and minds of Wall Rose, collect samples, and return. However...there is a much deeper purpose as to why Ulric was sent...and it will cost them all..


Stahl-Flügel

I

The sun was rising on Berlin, Germany on December 1st, 1959. The capital of the German Empire, won with the might of the Nazi Army Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strauss' machines was prospering. This was observed by Deathshead himself as he stood before his laboratory window, looking out over the beautiful capital. At one hundred years old and at the peak of his physical abilities, he grinned as his smallest hopes and dreams when he was a child came true, becoming one of the most powerful men in the Reich. As he was thinking, he was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, and a knock on the door. "Come in…" he croaked, his voice old and thick with age. The automatic door slid open, and then two of his black armored guards walked in, escorting a young soldier into the laboratory. He was around the age of nineteen years, and possessed the perfect Aryan features. Blond short yet thick hair, bright ice-blue eyes, white skin slightly darkened by combat, a height of six feet, a medium yet slender build, small scars of shrapnel and dirt on his face, and a cold yet warming look on his face. He wore the normal uniform of an Oberschütze, a black uniform with pauldrons, a gray ballistic vest, knee pads and shin guards, and black gloves and boots on his hands and feet. He was unarmed, as no one approaches Deathshead armed. Once he was in, the old man waved his hand away, the guards exiting the room, leaving him and the young man alone. "You wanted to see me, Herr Obergruppenfuhrer?" the young man asked. "Yes I did, Ulric von Ritter. Come…sit." The old man said to the young soldier, indicating to a set of metal chairs and a table with a chess set on it. Ulric looked to the table and sat down at it, taking off the armor plates so he could sit down easily. Once he did, Deathshead approached and sat down on the opposite end, and he moved the white pawn first, looking right at Ulric as he did.

"So…why did you call me, sir?" Ulric asked as he moved one of his pawns. "I have watched you in the army, young man. I have noticed your prowess in battle, and how you have handled yourself in the many battles on the front lines." Deathshead replied as he moved a knight, cornering one of Ulric's pawns. The soldier raised his eyebrow as he countered by moving a bishop into position. "You have? And…what have you thought of me?" he asked curiously. "I have seen much potential in you…you have a charisma not unlike our leader, the Führer. Men on the field listen to you, and you have also proven to be a great espionage agent as well. I am truly surprised that you haven't been promoted to an officer, young man." Deathshead responded as he took a pawn with his knight. Ulric sighed a little as he moved his bishop to eliminate the knight, cursing slightly as he saw it was a trap for him, losing the bishop to a pawn. "Well…I never saw myself as a leader of men, Herr Obergruppenfuhrer. I always saw myself as a young man of the German Empire, fighting for the cause." He said proudly as he moved another bishop. Deathshead nodded slightly, and smirked slightly. "And you have made our Führer proud, Ritter. However…I have a…special task for you, one that I wouldn't ask of anyone else." He said brightly. Ulric raised his eyebrow a little as he took one of Deathshead's bishops, sacrificing his other bishop to a queen. "And what assignment is that?" he asked politely. Deathshead chuckled as he moved his queen out to destroy Ulric's pawn that was out in the open. "Don't be too sure of it, my lad. It will take some months…years possibly. You will be completely on your own, facing enemies that will be many times your size, and the local population may not be well-liking to who you are, but you will be well equipped for this mission, and if you know what to do…you will return to the Reich as a hero." Deathshead said proudly. Ulric chuckled slightly, and looked up at the old man. "And what enemy could the rebels provide that could be many times my size?" he asked with a small grin. "Oh no, no…you won't be facing rebels this time…you will be traveling to…how do I put this…an alternate timeline…one where Germania wasn't even created…and humanity is intermingled with each other. Monsters and giants of many sizes will roam the landscape, invulnerable except by killing them a special way…and unlike us…humanity is savage. Their technology is considered Stone-Age to us…if even that." Ulric looked at the Minister of Advanced Research, and he started to laugh loudly, almost tipping over the chess table. "Sir, you must be mad! How can we travel across time and space?!" he said with loud spasms of laughter, but then…he was instantly silenced by the smile on Deathshead's face, but the cold and menacing eyes that could fill even the strongest and bravest man with fear. It was then that the scientist stood up, and turned. "I will show you…but first…will you take the task?" he asked. Ulric stood as well, forgetting the armor plates that he had on the floor next to him. He considered it…he could be the most famous soldier in the Reich with this…or he could die in a foreign land…just like his father did in the Great War. It was…well…he didn't really have a choice did he? It was practically a personal honor and high regard to be chosen by Wilhelm Strauss. So, he nodded with a smile, and saluted. "Jawhol." Deathshead grinned at that, and then he briefly pointed behind, not looking at the man at all, to the chess table. "By the way…checkmate." He hissed with a chuckle as he walked towards the deep area of his laboratory. Ulric turned to see that Deathshead wasn't kidding. A pathway was opened to his king thanks to Deathshead's queen, and so were his other personnel taken out. Ulric slightly cursed as he shook his head and followed Deathshead.

When they were in the lab area, Deathshead indicated a chair with several straps on the side, and many needles on the headrest, connected to a large computer with a data encryption key in the slit, practically pulsating with energy. Ulric swallowed nervously as he saw the device, but then his eyes widened as Deathshead gestured to it. "Please sit down in it." He said calmly. Ulric paled with fear as he looked at the chair again. He didn't fear the enemy bullets or explosives, but he heard rumors of experiments done on sub-humans in this sort of manner, and he couldn't hold back his open fear, despite his training. However, to his surprise, Deathshead laughed. "Do not be afraid von Ritter…this is the best way other than reading the briefing to you aloud, added you will remember it better and…and this information does not leave the room…I will be giving you my knowledge and my copies of blueprints of all the weapons of our glorious Reich..." he said in a fatherly way. Ulric's eyes widened even more as he heard this, and his jaw practically hit the floor. "W-Why are you honoring me with this? N-Not that I am complaining, sir I….I just…well…this is…uh…" However, Deathshead held his hand up in annoyance. "Just climb into the machine, please. I have a schedule to keep up with." He commanded. At that, von Ritter jumped to his command, hopping into the machine obediently, and the notion amused Deathshead slightly. The old man then walked to the large computer, and activated the machine. It came alive with whirring noises and sputters, but otherwise functioned properly. The straps came alive and secured Ulric to their positions, restraining his movement almost completely. "Kind of tight, don't you think, Herr Doktor?" he asked jokingly. "Oh trust me…it gets worse…" Deathshead said with a menacing cackle as he activated the needles. They slowly approached Ulric and then when the tips were just touching his skin, the young soldier's eyes looked up at the old doctor and had a slight hint of worry. "What will happen when I get this?" he asked. Deathshead grinned as his hand lowered to the engage button. "You will become the most intelligent combat engineer the world has seen…" and with that…he pressed the button. The needles went into Ulric's skull with expert position and precision. The young soldier's eyes went wide as he felt the pain and let out a loud cry of pain and agony as he felt the needles pierce through flesh and bone. However…it was followed by even louder screams as he felt his mind being scrambled like eggs inside, with so many memories and blueprints flashing through. He shook and spasmed like an animal in its death throes, screaming like one too. To drown out the screaming, Deathshead got up and approached an old Gramophone, a relic from his past, and he played a record on it. Soon, the song Die Forelle was playing loudly, almost drowning out the screaming of the soldier. As the soldier flashed and jerked about, he began to sing softly along with it, his mind already picturing the fall of Africa and onto Australia, and the world being covered by the red flag, white circle, and black swastika of the Nazi Empire, and he smiled softly at it, and let the dreams of Germany's glory fall over him as he sang senselessly with the music.

Meanwhile, Ulric's mind was being jolted and twisted, Deathshead's words becoming true. He saw various blueprints of robots, weapons, armor, vehicles, all assembled from scratch, and how Strauss had done it. It felt like he was there, assembling them with his own hands over and over until he memorized them completely and could do it on a whim. He had no idea how long that segment had lasted, though it felt like hours went by. He then heard a faint mechanical voice say, "Segment One complete. Segment Two beginning." At that, he felt more jolts of memories that made him scream louder. He shifted and jerked even more as sheer agony overloaded his senses, almost making him numb to anything but pain. He saw more symbols flash by him, four standing out the most. One was a shield with two swords crossed over it, another was a shield with two intertwining roses with thorns, a third was a green unicorn's head with gray mane and horn standing proudly, and lastly was the shield with two wings on it, one silver and one blue, crossed like bladed angel's wings. He then saw schematics for what looked like a harness with two large boxes on its side, two swords connected to the boxes by two wires that also controlled harpoons coming out of the sides, allowing the user to launch themselves over great distances and speed as well. It was a useful but risky device if used improperly. Nevertheless, he now understood what it did and how he could use it, but he also knew it would take time to practice with it. Lastly he saw a large kingdom, surrounded by three gigantic walls, and it truly impressed him that humans could have built such a thing. That segment was done, according to the computer voice, but then as the third segment began, he felt the pain was lessened, his mind already used to the torment of the memory transfer. He soon saw large and naked beings of all sizes, each with contorted faces of different expressions, and most of these giants appeared to be incredibly stupid. However, they were unkillable except for damaging the nape of the neck, and Ulric saw how those soldiers he might see would take care of such a beast. However, he also saw that there were giants that were intelligent, and that could take the form of humans. He saw these, and dubbed them "Skin-Changers", knowing how powerful that advantage could be if the human had the mindset of a Titan. The third segment ended as quickly as it had begun, and the least painful segment, the final segment, was his briefing. He felt the now smooth flowing of images into his mind, unaware that he was bleeding softly on the side of his head. Nevertheless, he saw what his objective was. There were five Skin-Changers he had to obtain DNA from, and saw their faces and forms. One was a young man with brown hair and green eyes named Eren Jaeger, another was blond haired and brown eyes man named Reiner Braun, the third was a young short woman with blond hair and blue eyes though not of German descent called Annie Leonhardt, the fourth a giant of a man with black hair and brown eyes called Bertholdt Hoover, and the fifth a young woman with black hair, tanned skin and brown eyes called Ymir. He also saw his other objective was to win the hearts and minds of the people of that kingdom, one way or another. He then understood why Deathshead had given him the designs for his weapons and technology: Ulric was to create a civilization of these people, arm them to fight those giants off, and then…when the time came for the Reich to expand…a kingdom would welcome them with open arms. It was a grand scheme that carried much risk but…they had the means and the aims to accomplish it. Ulric von Ritter knew what he must do…and on his personal honor, he wouldn't fail his Reich.

After that final segment had finished, he took a deep breath as he felt his vision return to normal, and the pain subside. The needles were removed from his head, and he felt a calm sensation come over himself. Ulric looked up slightly, and saw Deathshead standing over him with a kindly yet disturbing smile as he unlatched the restraints on the young man, and allowed him to stand. He felt wobbly at first and his fingers numb, but soon, he found himself regaining control of his body. He looked right at the scientist and nodded. I know what I must do, Herr Obergruppenfuhrer." He said seriously. Deathshead nodded, and then lead the young soldier down the hallway to a small armory station, and indicated to it. "You cannot go in with your standard trooper armor…but you can most certainly go in with this new light armor creation I have designed. It shall prevent a giant from biting you in half, but please for the love of the Reich don't be careless." Deathshead said as he unveiled a set of armor in a glass case. Ulric's eyes widened as he saw it, and he couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at it up and down. It had a black military fatigue base with long sleeves and fingerless gloves made of an unknown strong yet light and flexible material, but it also had a light gray armored sleeveless flak jacket with weapon holsters on the back, combat boots of strong leather interwoven with the unknown material, armored bracers and kneepads, a belt bandolier for magazines, grenades, and two pistols, and lastly, it came with a full-faced helmet, the face covering all but the eyes but possessed a visor for the eyes as well that was completely black on the outside but allowed clear visibility for all conditions when viewed from within, and lastly, there was a radio set within the helmet that would allow communication once Ulric had taught it to the locals. The young soldier stood before it, completely awed by the design. "This, my dear boy, is the Über-Commando armor prototype. Not even the Fürher knows about it, and when you come back with the appropriate test results, I will make it stronger. For now though…take this and four weapons of your choice, then I will send you off to the land." Deathshead said with pride. Ulric truly felt honored to be selected for such a glorious task. He looked to his right to see the racks of weapons he could use, and it just made his heart and mind wonder at the designs. He picked the Assault Rifle, which looked like a combination of the M14, the Heckler and Koch G3, and the FN FAL rifles, the Pistol which looked like a mix between the P-08 Luger and the M93-Raffica, then he chose the Licht Amplifikation durch die stimulierte Emission vod Radiation Kraftwerk (LaserKraftWerk), a prototype laser weapon that had the power to penetrate through solid steel. He then proceeded to collect few grenades, throwing knives, and soon, he was ready to go. He donned the armor relatively quickly, and he saw himself in the mirror, the pistol on his hip, the rifles on his back, and all the available assets in different pouches, pockets, and straps. He looked like a true Elite Commando of the Reich, but he noticed Deathshead removed the Eagle from his armor, as he had to remain an enigma to the locals. "I am ready, Herr Obergruppenfuhrer." He said to him. His father would have been proud, that was for sure. Deathshead nodded, and brought him over to a special tube, where he asked him to lay inside after the cockpit opened with a hiss, and as Ulric laid within, Deathshead closed it and nodded. "When you awake, you will find yourself in that land. I wish you luck, and when you return…all of the Reich will praise you. You will honor your family for years to come, and I will be proud in knowing that I had picked the perfect man for this. Auf Wiedersehen, mein freund." He said as he engaged the machine, a tiresome ut revolutionary prototype built in secret thanks to advanced technology, and soon…Ulric drifted away into a sleep, his body materializing into thin air, and transported across the heavens and into the world of Attack on Titan, not knowing what he might encounter next.

As Ulric came to, he felt wind and a soft breeze flowing over him, the chirping of birds, and the sun on his armor. He groaned a little as he stood up, finding himself not in a tube at all, but rather…standing in front of a large wall, on the outskirts of a town. He turned around and saw the wall behind him had shadow over the ruined and empty fields. Ulric saw old ruins of towns and villages, and when he saw an old symbol in the distance of a woman's faceless head with a crown, it brought the memory to his head and he understood it as "Wall Maria". He then turned and saw the stone wall he had been facing before, and recognized it symbol as "Wall Rose". That was where his objectives lay. He knew it. So, he began to walk there, keeping his peripheral vision open for any of these giants he was hearing about. He was smart enough to know that he needed to get there as soon as possible, and with a quickened pace, he began to run to the gate. He felt the air go through his lungs like a clean vapor, passing easily in and out like a well-oiled train. Ulric almost felt like whooping with the giddiness of a boy, and he felt his childhood memories come back to him. He remembered playing with his friends, his sisters and brother, laughing as they climbed trees, swam in streams, and played other games as well. Sure, he was an outdoor child, but he also loved indoor activities, like reading, writing, and listening to grandfather's stories while father was away. He smiled with nostalgia as he ran, but he was suddenly aware that he was being watched. Not from the wall, but by hungry eyes following close behind. Ulric turned and saw several small and large forms approaching him at different speeds, and he cursed loudly as he recognized the figures. He didn't have that harness he saw in his briefing, but he knew he had the weapons to slow them down. So, he continued to run towards the wall, reaching back and pulling out the LaserKraftWerk, noting the battery charge. There would obviously be no charging stations here but thanks to Deathshead, it was fully upgraded to recharge on its own, and he thanked the man for his ingenuity. As he ran, he felt himself getting tired, already running for quite some time. He could feel the vibration of the giants approaching, and he turned to see one of them a mere football field away. He decided now was the time, and he turned, stopping with a skidding halt, and aimed down his sights. The scope electronically locked onto the limb of the ten meter giant, and Ulric held his breath briefly, and fired. The ionized beam shot out of the device, and it pierced right through the joint where the leg connected to the hip, sending a spray of cauterized blood everywhere. The hole caused the leg to indent and made the giant fall, sending a loud crash throughout the land. Ulric cursed as he saw he only had two shots left, using three battery charges. He holstered it on his back and he calculated how far he had to run. _I won't make it in time, damnit! _He silently cursed as he ran. He looked back to see the giant he had shot had started to get up, the hole regenerating. He cursed again as he continued to run, and out of sheer instinct, he called for help.

Up on the walls, Eren Jaeger was looking out over the field with a hardened look. The Titans have been hitting harder than before, and even with the Titan Shifting abilities he had, they needed a back-up plan. He mulled over this as he looked out over the field, his eyes widening as he saw a black speck running from several Titans. His face contorted into anger but then surprise as he witnessed a yellow-white beam fire from the man, and he immediately turned to the Garrison below, his Survey Corps Cloak flapping in the wind and shouted down below. "Hey! Open the gates! There's someone out there!" His voice echoing loudly. It was at that moment he was joined by his sibling Mikasa and friend Armin, and they looked over the edge at the man running from the Titans, and they saw what he was talking about. "Get the horses. Now!" she said to him as they slid down the walls in their 3DMG gear, landing near the stables as they and several other Garrison soldiers mounted up, swiftly jumping into the saddles and almost knocking over an unfortunate Trainee stable boy over, and they began to gallop out of the gates, but they were stopped by Levi Ackerman, who happened to be in the area, and he shook his head. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked sternly. "There's someone out there! He needs our help now!" Eren shouted, ready to kick his horse into a gallop. However, Levi shook his head. "You're not going out there, Jaeger. None of you are." He ordered. Eren was about to curse loudly but then a small smirk came on Levi's face. "Not without me at least. Now get moving brat." He said as his face returned to its normal stone cold stare, and the Garrison was about to say something but they respected Levi's decisions, even if they weren't part of the Corps. Soon, the number dwindled to just the four Survey Corps soldiers, and they galloped out of the open walls, cloaks flapping in the breeze, and swords at the ready. They galloped as fast as they could, horses snorting loudly and hooves pounding on the ground as they managed to get a closer look at the running man, and then they heard him calling out for assistance. "Armin, Eren, you two secure the man. Mikasa and I will-" He was cut off as he saw another beam escape from the tool that the man held, and it cut through the neck of a 7 meter Titan, the beast letting out a roar of pain as it fell, landing face-first onto the ground and disintegrating. The four were speechless for a brief moment, but then Levi snapped out of it and looked at the crew. "You heard me. Move out!" he shouted.

Ulric continued to run, cursing in Germanic as he realized he was empty and had to wait for the beam to recharge. He continued to run, holstering the weapon on his back and started to go for his pistol, but then he looked up at the group of horses that galloped towards him, and an audible breath of relief came from the helmet. "Hey! Lend me a hand here, yes!?" he shouted to the two riders approaching him. He saw one of their faces, and instantly recognized hit as Eren Jaeger. He remembered his target, but he was swept up by the blond boy next to him, and he cursed silently but thanked him nonetheless as he was scooped onto the horse. "Thank you! Now get me into position so I can shoot those dogs!" He shouted as he reached behind his back and started getting out his assault rifle. "No need, it's already being taken care of!" The young man shouted as he pointed to the other two riders, watching as the two of them cut down the three Titans chasing after them in mere moments. Ulric had seen the movement gear in action before, but it was still a beautiful sight to see, especially the short man using it as if he was a master. It briefly reminded Ulric of the Japanese Samurai he had heard of in his grandfather's stories, ever the explorer he was when he was in his youth. His jaw dropped slightly at how the short man and young woman slaughtered the beasts, and then they returned to their horses as if nothing happened. The blood that had been sprayed on them was evaporating swiftly, but they were more focused on Ulric and the gear he carried. Even as they rode, they stole glances onto him, their eyes searching and curious. "Who are you?" Eren asked curiously. "My name is Ulric Wolfenstein…thank you for saving my arse out there." Ulric replied calmly, though he thanked his lucky stars that he had the helmet. He decided to use the name Wolfenstein, as he heard legends of a castle where infamous American OSA agent William J. Blazkowicz had combated the Nazi party before and single-handedly destroyed the soldiers inside. It was also his choice because he noticed that before he donned the armor back in Berlin, he saw the infamous W of the Wolfenstein Armory, and it was a fitting name for himself. "What the hell is that you have on you?" the blond boy asked. "I'll explain everything when you get me some hot food and a bed." Ulric responded. However, everyone looked at each other, and then the young woman spoke. "We don't have enough, but we can put you into a refugee camp." She said reassuringly but calmly at the same time. Ulric understood that option. He knew these people didn't have much, but he would fix that. Once he got in good with their leader, he would build Über Concrete buildings, designs and weapons to push away these Titans, and then he could accomplish his task with ease. Still…he couldn't get the feeling that there was something bigger at work. There must be another reason why he was here… "Ulric? You ok?" Eren asked. The young soldier shook his head and nodded. "Ja, I am alright. Just traveled many miles to get here…" he said with false tiredness, and as they approached the walls, he knew that he had much work to do…

After reaching the wall and closing the gates, the group of five dismounted the horses and allowed Ulric to take a look around at the district known as Trost. They were in the south end of Wall Rose, but these details were irrelevant to Ulric. He had to keep up the air of a foreign mercenary from a different location, and make a name for himself here. However, judging from the people looking at him, it would be more or less easier said than done. Half of the population looked half starved, with many refugees in the area, and he honestly felt like a knight among peasants and vassals. They looked at him with wide eyes, but the short man turned to the crowd that was forming around them, and he fixed his cold and angry stare at them. "There's nothing to see here! Go back to your lives!" He said in a commanding voice, and it echoed across the plaza. The inhabitants obediently went back to their business, but they kept stealing sideways glances at Ulric and his gear. Meanwhile though, he learned the names of the four that had saved him. Eren Jaeger, the blond lad Armin Arlert, the short but powerful man Levi Ackerman, and the Asian hybrid girl Mikasa Ackerman. He assumed by the way Mikasa had stuck close to Eren and Armin that these three were family, and that Levi was a friend…of a sorts. He took note of this as he stood straight and erect, his old military training making his posture statue-perfect. "So…where are you four taking me?" he asked as he walked with them. "Jaeger, Ackerman, and Arlert will be going back to their training, and I'll be taking you to the Survey Corps HQ. You're gonna be asked a few questions and also be examined along with your weapons as well, outsider." Levi stated bluntly. Ulric shrugged a little, ignoring the confused and awed looks of several people and soldiers as both he and Levi passed through the town and to the Survey Corps Headquarters. "If it's anything like the medical examinations of Wilhelm Strauss, then this should be a piece of cake." Ulric said in Germanic to himself. "What the hell did you say?" Levi asked sternly. "Nothing, Herr Ackerman. Just talking to myself." He replied politely. Levi nodded, and looked straight ahead at the building. In truth, he was just as curious as the peasants and wanted to know more about the armor and the weapons he had that could shoot much faster than any of their own guns. However, he smirked slightly at a humorous thought of Hanji examining and experimenting on this man. _She's practically going to orgasm at the sight of him…_ He thought with amusement as they entered the gates, and for Ulric, he had no idea what to expect from this group. Ragged beggars? Child commanders? Experienced veterans? Only time would tell…


End file.
